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Hillel Landsman, Defender of Tel Hai, Dies at Age 76

March 23, 1973
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Hillel Landsman, one of the last survivors of the defense of Tel Hai, died last night at the age of 76. Landsman came to Palestine at the turn of the century, joined the Turkish Army and served in it as an officer during World War I. Shortly after the war he joined Joseph Trumpfeldor the defense of Tel Hai, a tiny Jewish settlement in Upper Galilee besieged by thousands of Arabs.

Trumpfeldor was mortally wounded and died in Landsman’s arms after saying the words that have since become a legend in Israel: “It is good to give your life for your country.” Landsman was among the founders of Ayelet Hashachar, a settlement on what was formerly Lake Huleh and headed its regional council for many years.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Abba Eban will visit the U.S. in May as a guest of the United Jewish Appeal and the Israel Bond Organization. Eban plans to visit several African states in June.

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